


A Death Wish

by nicolescrawls



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Anxiety, Other, PoC character, Zombie Apocalypse, as will relationship tags, character names will be added as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-02-18 21:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13108743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicolescrawls/pseuds/nicolescrawls
Summary: She expected hardships, but no one's early twenties should be quite like this.





	A Death Wish

She finds herself alone just outside the main city in a (now) run-down local library, hidden amongst rows of worn-out pages. Her hands are shaking and it’s difficult to breathe when her lungs feel like collapsing in. Her throat aches in a silent scream, and Eileen can’t remember the last time she felt so inept and pitiable.

Outside, adjacent to the walls concealing her, is the eradication of normalcy. A promise that the tranquil and untroubled life she had been living has meet an official end. No more afternoon tea. No more bells signaling a day’s end. No more air filled with the sound of innocent, youthful chatter. And no more—

Eileen meets an oncoming sob with resistance when she lowers her head, curling in on herself. She recalls exactly where she is and a wave of dread feels as if it may consume her. Everything hurts and she already misses the feel of paper and leather binding in her hands. Staying here is not practical. There is no sustainable food source available and she’s positive the water no longer runs. But she’s hyper-aware of her reality and the fact that her chances are slim in escaping unscathed on her own.

The city was far from secure. It was unpredictable. High-risk. And every turn of a corner held a threat to be the last. She was fortunate enough to make it as far as she did—unarmed and unprepared—she thinks, realizing now that she misjudged the gravity of the situation. A mere bag did her little, when all that filled it was a single book and a dull kitchen knife.

Eileen doesn’t want to admit it to herself, but choosing to take her copy of  _ Grimm’s Fairy Tales _ with her hadn’t been the wisest idea. That’s what her head keeps telling her, but as her heart clenches along with another cry, she knows she would not have been able to leave it behind to rot in her dusty apartment. Though useless in the face of danger, it provided a sense of comfort with its mere presence.

Not enough to stop her tears to her dismay, however. Who knew when she would see her family again.

The groans of the hoard leak in through the thin walls and Eileen’s shaking worsens. Her eyes too clouded to see the way her body quivers in fear. She wants to lie to herself and believe for a moment that she’s fine. She’s not though and with no idea what actions to take to assure her own safety.

There are so many things she wishes to say, cursing her own stupidity for not having had a more legitimate weapon lying around her residence. She resigns though when she acknowledges the fact that (even if there had been) she may not have been able to carry it on her person; so she directs her desperate anger towards her feeble physique instead. 

Pathetic.

The temperature drops and Eileen’s blood runs colder causing another tremor to rack through her, when her ears catch the sound of rustling. Her hand inches towards her feet. Down to the largest item within her vicinity: an encyclopedia.

It was plausible. Eileen knew the place hadn’t been entirely secure—the walls were thin, the doors unable to find it in themselves to hold as strong as they once had, but it would still take the force of the hoard as a whole to break through. As dangerous as the walking monstrosities were, time had proven the lack of intelligence they possessed and she had slipped into the area undetected. She prays the monsters hadn’t found a weak link that she overlooked as she grips the large book tighter.

Her mind reels as it makes failing attempts to conjure up an escape plan, and Eileen notices she can no longer feel tears streaming down her face. She’s much too frightened to cry over her own plight now, panic drowning her in its depths. 

She can hear a low rumble of a voice growing closer, and she wants to flee but her legs aren’t working. The book in her hands could make for a good distraction. A moderate blow to the head. The thought upsets her, but Eileen reminds herself with a shake that refusing to mistreat an inanimate object is not worth the cost of her life and she prepares to hurl the massive item forward as a shadow comes into view.

“...Um, you okay?”

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise, surprise!! I've had this account for about four years and believe it or not,,, this is the first post.
> 
> The plan is to continue this in my spare time as a way to relax. So that being said, this first "chapter" is pretty short.


End file.
